Heel grip



C. R. SNOW HEEL GRIP Feb. 4, 1930,

Filed April 27, 1927 0o 5 l a 1 7 7 V 7 BY ATTORNEYS.

.45' e being secured to the boot.

Patented Feb. 4, 1930 UNITED STATES PA NT o ncE CHESTER R. snow, 01 roE'rLAun, OREGON HEEL GRIP Application filed April 27,

I My invention relates to improvements in heel grips for boots, shoes, and the like and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements hereinafter described and 6 claimed.

- An object of my invention is to provide a .heel grip which is shaped to the contour of the foot so that it will bemoved when the foot is moved and thereby cause the boot or shoeto' move with the foot almost as if it formed an integral part of the foot.

3 A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described in which the grip is constructed of such a material that its elasticity, combined with the give of the side walls of the footwear, permit the broadest part of the heel to pass between the opposing pads when drawing on the footwear I and yet exert a sufficient pressure to cause the opposing pads to snugly engage the heel 3 while the footwear isbeing used.

' A further object of my invention is to provid e pads whichmake use of novel means for permitting the pads to be secured to the innersurface of a standard boot orthe like, this means securing the padsto the sides of the boot, thus giving ample room in the back of the boot. for permitting the foot to be readily moved into place.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel v features of my invention will be particularly 7 pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanyingvdrawing forming a part of this application, in which Figure 1, is a vertical transverse section Figure 1; and

. 'through a boot showing my device opera-' Figure3 is a perspective view of a boot partially broken away for illustrating how the pads are'held in position while they are In carrying out my invention I make use i of'a standard boot 1, or any other standard footwear and to the inner surface thereof I secure two pads 2 and 3, these pads being 192?. swarm. 186,982;

placed in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2; y

The, manner of holding pads in position while they are being secured to the boot forms a part of my invention, and I illustrate how this is accomplished in Figure 3. The pads 2 and 3 are nested in grooves 4 and 5 and blocks 6 and 7 respectively. These blocks are as wide and as long as the pads and are spaced from each other by a central block 8; The threeblocks 6, 7 and 8 are made wide enough for causing the sides 9 and 10 of the pads 2 and 3 to bear against the inner surface of the boot 1.

The blocks 6, 7 and 8 may be spaced vertically with respect to the bottom 2 of the boot byspacing the blocks 12 and 13. If it is desired to place the pads 2 and 3 a predetermined distance above the sole 2, both'blocks 13 and 12 are used; if the pads are to be lowered slightly from this position one of the blocks-is dispensed with. It is obvious that both blocks may be dispensed with if it is desired to have the edges of the pads contact with the edge of the sole 2.

The blocks 6, 7 and 8 together with the pads 2-and 3 are held together by strings 14, while the spacing members 12 and 13 may be secured to the blocks 6 and 7 by nails, not shown, or other suitable means.

Of course, the sides 9 and 10 of the pads 2 and 3 are coated with some adhesive material prior to the insertion of the pads, and the blocks within the footwear 1. Furthermore, pressure may be placed upon the side of the boot against the surfaces'9 and 10 until such time as the adhesive material causes the pads to adhere to the footwear.

The particular construction of each pad is shown in Figures 1 and 2, I found the best results to be obtained by providing each pad with the surfaces 9 and 10 constructed from 17 and '18, or other spongy or flexible material. This material together with the resiliency of the Wall of the boot exerts sulficient force against the foot of the wearer to cause the boot to be supported by the foot and therefore to move with it. In this way there will be no slippage between the foot and the boot. I V e V o It will be noted from tlie foregoing description that I have provided a'heel grip which is shaped to the'contour of the heel of the foot and engages with the taper of the heel, thereby positively locking the footwear to the heel. The pressure ofthe pads against the heel is to be so slight that it will not be an noying to the wearer. The actual contacting with the foot will be varied according to the weight of the footwear; The principal fea- '7 I I ture of my invention consists in adding a recognizable amount of material to the interior wall of the footwear at a particular place and shaping the material to conform to the contour of the foot.

I claim: v

1. The combination with a boot having an unslitted leg portion extending from the foot portion, of resilient pads placed on theinner sides of the leg portion and adjacent to the foot portion for yieldingly contacting with the portion of the foot disposed directly above 7 the heel. I

2. The combination with standardlooot having an unslitted leg portion extending from the foot portion, of resilient pads placed on the inner sides of the leg portion for yieldingly contacting with the portion of the foot disposed directly above the heel, said pads being thin at their upper and lowermost edges so as to merge into the footwear, and being thicker. at their midpointsand sloping off gently to said edges.

' i CHESTERR. SNOW. 

